Taylor Swift Vocal Range [Singing Voice & Strengths]

(Last Updated On: June 28, 2023)

We can all agree that Taylor Swift has achieved tremendous success over the past 16 years. Her hit song “Teardrops on My Guitar” catapulted her career back in 2006, making her one of the most famous artists of all time. But is that success well deserved? Is she truly talented? Or is she just a byproduct of marketing and catchy tunes designed to lure you in? Well, let’s find out!

Taylor Swift is a global pop star who has moved millions of people with her original music. She sings, plays the guitar, and writes all of her lyrics, which is extremely impressive and should not be taken lightly. 

She has won over 11 Grammys in categories like “Album of the Year,” “Best New Artist,” and “Song of the Year.” Taylor is also one of two Decade Honorees at the 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards (NSAI) and will be named the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade at an awards ceremony that is set to be held on Sept. 20. Earlier this year, the popstar also received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from New York University to celebrate her success in the music industry. 

We think Miss Swift’s record of accomplishments is more than enough to prove that Miss Swift is the real deal. Combine her powerful vocals with relatable lyrics, and you’ve got yourself a superstar. We were also particularly surprised by her vocal capacity and the number of notes she could hit. We have to admit that when it comes to her singing abilities, she is definitely underrated. So let’s go deeper into Miss Swift’s vocals.

What is Taylor Swift’s vocal range?

Vocal Type: An alto with the capabilities of a light lyric soprano.

Vocal Range: A2 – G5 – D6 (3 octaves and a perfect fourth.)

Vocal Rating: B

Analysis: Over the years, Taylor Swift has been actively attempting to develop a less pitchy voice, which we used to hear quite often in her live performances. The 2009 song “Teardrops on My Guitar” is a prime example. Her vocals weren’t all that impressive when she first started out in the business. They were bland, a bit weak, with no vocal tricks whatsoever. However, we can confidently say that her voice has gotten better over the past 13 years. Not to a point where we can compare her with Whitney Houston or Celine Dion, but it’s not as bad or plain as people tend to claim it is.

What makes Taylor Swift special is her songwriting abilities and how well she tells stories through her songs. If you listen to her song” Look What You Made Me Do,” she speaks most of the lyrics in an almost monotone voice rather than singing them, proving that her storytelling is more important to her than belting notes and showing off her vocal abilities.

However, Taylor’s vocal range is not to be underestimated. She can comfortably hit an A2, which is lower than most pop artists can reach, and she can also hit a remarkable E5, as heard in her duet with ZAYN on “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.” She never tries to go above that E5, even using her head voice, which is a wise move as doing so could cause her to go off-pitch.

Vocal Pluses: Overall, Taylor’s bright voice appeals to most pop/country music lovers. She excels at effortlessly switching between her head and chest voice and has an impressive vocal range of three to four octaves, from a low A2 to a D6, making that a total of 42 notes! 

Taylor has a wonderful gift for writing great songs that appeal to people of all ages and conveying great stories. She is, after all, a country singer at heart, and country singers have a knack for telling stories, which explains her skills and ability to connect deeply with her listeners.

Vocal Negatives: Objectively speaking, Taylor Swift is not one of the best singers in the world. Her ability to belt out notes is rather limited, and her voice lacks punch and strength. Additionally, her live performances appear to frequently reveal her pitch issues, with a tendency to go off-key when she tries too hard. She also seems to lack vibrato, though perhaps it is a deliberate choice for her vocal technique. And even though we mentioned that she has an impressive vocal range between three and four octaves, most of those high notes are produced in her head voice rather than her chest voice, which doesn’t require much physical effort to accomplish.

We’re not saying that Taylor Swift is a bad singer, her voice just won’t go down in the books as one of the best voices we’ve had in history.

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FAQ

What is Taylor Swift's highest note?

Taylor’s highest note is a D6, which we can hear in “Taylor Swift NOW: The Making of a Song”, where we watch her and her producer create the song “This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things.”

Is Taylor Swift a Soprano or Alto?

Taylor Swift is an excellent example of an artist being a mix of both Soprano and Alto. She can hit high notes and roar out songs whenever she wants, which causes many people to believe that she is a soprano. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that this is the range she’s most comfortable in. If you listen to her “Folklore” album, you will notice that most of her songs are in the Alto range. This is where her voice mostly shines, where she feels most at ease. Even though she excels in both dark and bright notes, we’d have to say that her low-to-mid notes are the most enjoyable.

How Low Can Taylor Swift sing?

Taylor can actually sing lower than most artists, reaching an A2, which is quite impressive for a pop star, and another reason we believe she’s mostly an Alto singer. If you want to listen to her reach that A2, listen to her song “Cruel Summer” where she sings a section an octave above and below that A2.

Conclusion

We cannot ignore the fact that Taylor Swift is a huge star who has come a long way in her singing career, regardless of whether or not she will be remembered as one of the finest vocals in the industry. Her vocals have shown significant improvement since her first hit, for which she deserves credit. Since 2006, she has continued to release hits one after the other with no indications of slowing down, and the fact that she’s still relevant 16 years later in such a competitive industry is also extremely impressive.